Sri Lanka to set up maintenance and repair overhaul unit and transit hotel at Mattala Airport
Sri Lankan authorities are planning to set up an aircraft and maintenance and repair overhaul (MRO) unit, a transit hotel, expand duty free services at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport as it draws more traffic, a government official has been quoted as saying in the media.
“The airport at Mattala will be establishing a MRO facility with foreign investments to capture the regional business markets for aircraft, engine repairs and checks,” Shehan Sumanasekara, Chief Director-Operations, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) has told EconomyNext.
SriLankan Airlines already has an MRO at the main Bandaranaike Airport which does C-checks and other services for a number of airlines.
Mattala has more space to do the business on a larger scale, he has said.
Over the past year, Mattala Airport has developed a business in crew changes and aircraft layovers.
“We intend to establish a transit hotel by 2022 in the airport premises which will give an immediate solution to many tourists and crew who are either transiting with long connecting times or passengers or crew with layovers in Sri Lanka,” he has further noted.
Mattala Airport will also expand its duty free offering beyond the core beverages, confectionary and perfume categories and add Sri Lankan products.
Also, using the airport the authorities want to boost travel to nearby tourist destinations.
“We intend to attract many travelers to Kataragama and Yala who will have easy access to the airport making it a destination for families to enjoy a meal at the airport which many airports around the world has successfully executed,” Sumanasekara has said.
Mattala is now being used by several regular charters bringing post-Covid-19 tourists from January and a crew change business involving air and seamen was also developed during Coronavirus restrictions.
SriLankan, Qatar, Etihad, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, China Eastern, Oman Airlines, Singapore, Kuwait Airways and Salam Airways, AirAstana and SCAT Airlines from Kazakhstan operate regular charters or fly to the airport from time to time.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s reopening of borders in January has created confidence amongst foreign travellers to visit the island. Also, the steadily increasing numbers of international airlines operating flights to the country is indicative of the growing interest among foreign travellers to visit Sri Lanka. This has resulted in Sri Lanka’s airport and aviation authority looking at further expanding the services and operations of local airports, especially the Mattala International Airport. The growing business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s airport and aviation industry provides excellent business/investment opportunities to foreign businesses/investors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20210319/Z_4 |